Xwashing-machine



`UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN BRADBURY, OF ABINGDON, ILLINOIS.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 23,657, dated April 19, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN BRADBURY, of Abingdon, in the county of Knox and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Machine for Washing Clothes, called the Pendulum-Lever VVashing-Machine; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which the ligure is a perspective View of the machine.

a a are two bottom pieces 6 feet long 3 by 3 inches.

b are four legs 2 feet l0 inches longQby 2 inches which are set into the bottom pieces a c as near one end as possible and made fast by nails or otherwise. They are halved together at the top and the bottom set apart 2 feet 4 inches also lit on the sides of the box' c and made fast by screws to it.

c is a box in which the clothes are washed on each side of the horizontal wash-board cl and between them and the upright boards 0. The longest part of the sideboards of said box is 2 feet 6 inches. The widest part of the same is 16 inches, the bottom being cut in a circle the diameter of which is L feet. The width of the box is 16 inches the end pieces being let into the side pieces inch on a diameter line struck across the ends of the side boards 2 inches from the ends of the lower edge of the side boards. The end boards are thrown back or out from the diameter line at the top inch so that the upright pieces forming the pendulum lever e c will not strike against the top of the box. When in operation the end pieces are set in the manner above stated so that when the machine is in motion the clothes fall back at every stroke of the pendulum lever c c. The bottom of the box being on a circle helps the clothes to fall back whenever the washboards Z leave them. So when the machine is in operation the clothes are all the time on the turn as they are washed which greatly facilitates their cleansing. The bottom pieces of the box are nailed or screwed on to the side and end boards across the top also are nailed two boards 3 inches wide leaving a space of 8 or l0 inches to put in and take out the clothes, &c., which space is covered by the cover a leaving space at each side for the pendulum lever e e to work. At each end inside of the box are upright washboards 0. They are made by guttering boards as usual wash boards are made, or by turning pieces and splitting them, fastened to the end pieces of the box by screws, or if round pieces split in two then, are holes about inch deep bored in the bottom of box at a proper distance apart and the lower ends of the slats or pieces fitted and inserted in them the tops being screwed fast to the box making the flat side iit solid to the end of the box they are 8 inches high. Just above these up; right washboards are fastened Zinc pieces running across the ends of the box bent in the shape of a curve to prevent the water from splashing out of the box when the machine is in operation. They are about .2 inches above the washboards and about 3 inches wide.

d are horizontal washboards fitted on each side of the pendulum lever and fastened with screws to it. These strike square against the upright washboards o to prevent the clothes from being damaged as they are washed. They are 8 inches wide and just long enough to work inside of the box.' There are also holes through them to let the suds run when the clothes are washing.

e e is the pendulum-lever. Each upright piece is l feet 6 inches long, l by 3 inches at the bottom and l by 2 at the top. In the tops of these is a roller 7c, and 2 feet from the bottom of these pieces pin m enters, entering the tops also of the legs l) b upon which the pendulum-lever works-that is, upon this pin in the 'manner of a pendulum. The whole swing inside the box c. The bottom of said box is 22 inches, being from the center of the box each way l1 inches. The benefit of washboards to work each way as the pendulum swings is to gain a stroke each time the pendulum passes a dead point, saving time and labor in washing.

f is a pitman 5 feet long l by 23E to 3 inches. It enters at the top the roller 7c in its center when it is made fast, the roller working in the tops of the pendulum lever e e, and g is a weight or balance attached to the lower end of the pitman f by screws so it may be detached in light washing but in heavy washing it not only gives force to the machine but it also throws the pendulum lever back so that most of the power required to move the machine is done by bearing down on the hand lever 7L.

z, is a hand-lever 5 feet long (the original speciication and drawings make its size 3 by 3 inches.) Its size is 2 by 19d. inches. It is made fast to the pitinan at the lower end by an iron bolt of an inch in size having a tenon made to fit and work in ya mortise in the lower end of the pitman. From the bolt in the lower end of pit-man and hand-lever to the point where the hand lever is fastened to the roller Z it is 19 inches, which forms the fulcruin point of the hand-lever.

z' are two upright posts in which the roller Z of the hand lever works. It enters near to the top of the posts in an inch hole, The ends of the roller are made so as to lit and work in said holes. The size of the posts is 19j by 2ginche's. rfhey are fastened to the bottom pieces a a close to the ends from the legs I) Z) of the box by nails or otherwise to make them solid. The distance from the holes in these posts where the roller 'of the hand-lever works to the holes in the tops of the legs where the pin m enters is l feet 4 inches.

j is a cross slat, being let into the upright posts z' z' and nailed to the bottom pieces a a.

rIhe slat is about 3 inches wide l inch thick.

m is the pin entering the tops of the legs Z9 before described of an inch in size.

n is the Acover of the boX.

o is one of the upright washboards before described the other being hid in the perspective view as shown on the plate No. 1 of drawings.

It isvnot intended by this specification to be coniined to the sizes herein named, from the fact that 'two or three sizes of the machines will most likely be required to suit different persons. Hence claim is made for Aany size of the machine and also any size of 

